Steam generator



5 Sheets-Sheet l WNY H. J. KERR STEAM GENERATOR Filed Dec.

Jan. `16, 1934.

Jan. 16,1934. H. J. KERR 1,943,539

STEAM GENERATOR INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Jan. 16, 1934. 4 H. J. KERR 1,943,539

STEAM GENERATOR f5 AFl f5.4 WW

Patented Jan. 16, 1934 param oFricE STEAM GENERATOR Howard J. Kerr, Westlield, N. J., assigner to Fuller Lehigh Company, Fullerton, Pa., a corporation cf Delaware Application December 10, i930 Serial No. 501,174 v 4 Claims. (Cl. 122-235) This invention relates to a steam boiler having a furnace with water wall vtubes along the walls of the furnace connected to the circulation system of the boiler. The lower headers along the walls of the furnace to which the lower ends of the Wall tubes are connected, are at different elevations and are interconnected in such a manner that troubles which may arise, especially when the boiler is being started up, are avoided.

The invention will be understood from the description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side View, partly in section, showing an illustrative embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a view at right angles to Fig. l, partly in section and taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a side view, partly in section, showing the lower portion of a boiler illustrating a modification of the invention, and Fig. 4 is a view, partly in section, taken along the Y2Q line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings, reference character l indicates a furnace above which a boiler may be located to receive products of combustion therefrom. The boiler is illustrated as being one of the Stirling type having upper drums 2, 3 and 4 connected to a lower or mud drum 5 by banks of tubes 6 in the usual way.

Vertically disposed water wall tubes 7 are provided along the side walls of the furnace, being connected to an upper header 8 on each side and lower headers 9 and l0. The header 10 is located suiciently far below the header to enable the side wall furnace tubes to extend a distance downwardly alongr the ends of the clinker grinding pit when the furnace is of the Stoker-med type. The upper header 8 on each side may be connected to the header 9 by recirculating tubes l1 and recirculating tubes 12 connect each header 8 to the corresponding header 10. A pipe 13 connects the headers 9 and l0, this pipe entering the end of one of these headers and the side of the other one. The pipe 13 is provided with a curved portion and is sufficiently long to give flexibility to take care of expansion and contraction.

The upwardly extending water tubes 14 along the rear wall of the furnace enter an upper header l5 and a lower header 16 which are connected by recirculating tubes 17.

The lower header 9 is connected to the water space of the steam andwater drum 4 by means of one orrmore pipes 18. The lower header 10 is connected to the mud drum 5 by one or more pipes 19 and also to the water space of the steam and water drum 4 by one or more pipes 20. The lower header 16 is connected to the mud. drum 5 by one or more pipes 19' and to the water space of the steam and water drum 4 by one or more pipes 20'.

The upper headers 8 are connected to the steam space of the steam and water drum by means of pipes 21'and the header 15 is connected to the steam space of the steam and water drum 4 by pipes 22. The lower headers 9, 10 and 16 may be provided with valved drain pipes 23.

This invention is especially useful while the furnace walls are being warmed up during the starting-up period of the boiler, since the upward flow of the make-up water through the furnace wall tubes is equalized during this period.

By providing the connecting tube 13 between the lower headers 9 and 10, either one of these headers can receive make-up water from the other one instead of receiving it from the boiler drum solely. In this way, two sources of make-up water are provided for the furnace walls, one being from the steam and water drum 4 through the pipes 18 and 20, and the other from the mud drum through the make-up connecting pipe or pipes 19. The make-up pipe or pipes 19 may be regarded as an emergency make-up supply, as it will supply water to the lower headerseven after the water level accidentally goes below the steam and water drum 4.

Another advantage of the connection between the headers 9 and 10 is that both of these headers 85 receive make-up water from the boiler without the necessity of providing independent make-up tubes.

The modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is similar to that which has been described, and the saine reference characters are used to designate the same parts. However, in this modification, the interconnecting pipe 25 between the headers 9 and 10 is shown connected to therside of each header, and an interconnecting pipe 26 is provided between the headers 9 and 16.

By interconnecting all of the lower water wall headers as shown in this modification, an upward flow of water can take place through all of the make-up water tubes intothe water spaces of the boiler, due to the expansion of the water while it is being heated up during the starting-up period of the boiler, regardless of whether the heat in some portions of the walls of the furnace is greater than that in other portions of the furnace walls, or not. :Without this interconnection, the water in the boiler and the water in the side walls may become heated up more quickly than that in the rear wall of the furnace, With the result that the cold water from the makeup connection leading to the rear wall tubes would be apt to cause leakage at the joints where the make-up tubes are expanded into the rnud drum, due to the fact that the water entering the drum through these make-up tubes would be colder than the water in the drum. It will be understood that the backward flow of the water through the make-up connection would be due to the water becoming expanded and seeking its level as it could not escape through the connection to the steam space of the boiler before steaming begins. By providing the interconnections between the lower headers, this difficulty is obviated.

I claim:

1. In a boiler, a furnace having panels of water wall tubes along one wall thereof, upper and lower headers connected to tubes of each of said panels, one of said lower headers being at a lower level than another, connections from said headers to the circulation system of said boiler, and a direct connection between two lower headers that are at different levels.

2. In a boiler, a furnace having panels of water wall tubes along one wall thereof, upper and lower headers connected to tubes of each of said panels,

of said boiler to each one of said lower headers,-

and a direct connection between two lower headers that are at different levels.

4. In a boiler, a furnace having panels of water wall tubes, upper and lower headers connected to tubes of each of said panels, one of said lower headers being at a lower level than another, connections from said headers to the circulation system of said boiler, a direct connection between two lower headers that are at different levels along the same wall, and a connection between lower headers that are along adjacent walls.

HOWARD J. KERR. 

